American Go E-Journal » U.S./North America

Won Suh 6d (lower left) edged out fellow 6-dans James Park (r in upper right) and Edward Zhang (l in upper right) on tie breaks to take the trophy at the NOVA Slate and Shell Open in Arlington, VA last Saturday, December 11. The field of 22 players battled for books and cash prizes supplied by sponsor Slate and Shell. The top three players in the dan division, all with 3-1 records, split the cash prize and were awarded books. Other winners included undefeated Kelsey Dyer 2k, Gurujeet Khalsa 9k, Joseph Lee 10k, and undefeated Tariq Khan 19k, who also earned trophies, books and cash. Second place finishers George Wilson 5k, Joey Phoon 7k, and Deirdre Golash 13k received books.- reported by Garrett Smith; photos by Gen Zhang

The Double Jeopardy round of the quiz show Jeopardy for Monday December 13 had go as one of its categories, reports Joel Sanet. “The head of the column had a go grid and stones in the background,” Sanet told the E-Journal. “The answers in ascending order of value were China, black, samurai, atari, and liberties. The clues are left as an exercise for the student.”

Our Go Online post on E-Books And Steganography (12/5/2010) has been updated with correct links for Peter Shotwell’s writings and the steganography article as well as to a recently-posted short version of Shotwell’s Appendix V of the Origins article, the one that revamps early go history. Also, in that same post “Amazing Happenings in the Game of Go,” Volumes 1 & 2 are available on the iPad, not the Kindle, as we reported. “In fact,” says author Bob Terry, “I specifically wrote them for the iPad. The Kindle does not display color, and these books are filled with color photographs of Japanese festivals, television programs and other picturesque events that make use of the iPad’s capabilities. I want these books to reach as many people as possible, not just go players, so that they bring more people into the game. I hope that making go attractive in this way will help in that.”

Chicago go organizers Bob Barber and Mark Rubenstein checked out Pecha Kucha recently and Barber thinks it may be “an opportunity for go proselytizers.” Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of “chit chat”, Pecha Kucha rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds, a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace. “Great fun,” says Barber, who’s going to contact the Chicago Pecha Kucha organizers “and see if they’ll give us a shot.” “We’ll make 20 visually interesting slides about go, tell some amusing anecdotes about the game, and pass out meishi (Japanese business card) when done,” says Barber, who encourages other go organizers to consider this novel method of outreach. Click here for the Chicago Tribune report on the Chicago event.

Matthew and Karoline Burrall topped their respective divisions in the December 4 Davis/Sacramento Winter Quarterly Tournament in Sacramento, CA. A dozen players participated, including one who was playing in his first tournament: Dong Hoang won one game playing as a 12 kyu. Matthew Burrall 7d won the upper division (1kyu and above) with a perfect 4 wins and no losses while his sister Karoline, 5k, won the lower division, also with 4 wins. Jeff Newmiller directed, and when he was called away, Willard Haynes assumed his duties.

Empty Sky Go Club organizer Steve Colburn 5k took first place in the first annual Cornell Open last Saturday, December 4 in Ithaca, New York. Colburn, who won all his games, also lent the club go equipment for the tournament. “The Cornell Go Club was very happy to host this event, and looks forwards to hosting more tournaments in the future,” reports local organizer David Glekel.photo by Bryant Garcia

Popular teacher Guo Juan 5P (r) has joined the E-Journal’s growing roster of contributing professionals and top players.Guo, a 5-dan Chinese professional who lives in Amsterdam and is an active participant in European tournaments, is a regular at the annual U.S. and European go congresses and also conducts popular workshops in the U.S. and elsewhere each year. She also teaches online at Guo Juan’s Internet Go School. Guo will be focusing on commentaries “with an emphasis on opening strategies and direction of play,” she tells the E-Journal. Guo’s debut commentary will be on a double-digit kyu game (10k+); email your game (sgf file required) to us at journal@usgo.org with “Guo commentary” in the subject line BY MIDNIGHT DECEMBER 17. Please be sure to include your AGA number, as this is a member’s-only benefit. “Game commentaries and instruction consistently rate highly in our Reader Surveys,” noted EJ Managing Editor Chris Garlock. “We’re very pleased to welcome Guo Juan 5P to join Michael Redmond 9P, Yilun Yang 7P, Kazunari Furuyama and Yuan Zhou 7d as regular contributors and look forward to learning from their insights into the game.”photo: Guo Juan 5P (right) commenting a 2009 U.S. Go Congress game live on KGS for the E-Journal; photo by John Pinkerton

After fifteen years, the New York Go Center closed its East 52nd Street location on November 30. However, leaders and members pledged to keep the Center’s go community going until a new physical location can be established. The Center opened in 1995 when the Nihon Ki-in purchased the four-story building with a generous bequest by Honinbo Iwamoto Kaoru 9P, who also founded centers in Brazil, Amsterdam and Seattle. The Center succeeded the New York Go Club, which had existed since the 1950’s in a series of temporary locations. Iwamoto always seemed especially interested in the outside world. He played a key role in bringing Go Seigen to Japan from China, and lived in Brazil for two years in his twenties. In 1945, he challenged Hashimoto Utaro for the Honinbo title and they were concluding the second game of the title match in Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, when the first atomic bomb exploded over the city. The experience transformed Iwamoto, who became dedicated to using go as a way to promote peace and international understanding. He traveled extensively in the West, spending eighteen months in the US at one point. Over the years he made repeated visits to New York, instructing the New York go community in the depth and profundity of the game. The Center’s closure, while a bitter disappointment to all concerned, was not entirely unexpected. Attendance averaged just six players per day, and the building, which requires major renovations, had become an economic liability for the Nihon Ki-in. Newly elected Nihon Ki-in Board member Chizu Kobayashi 5P(standing, at right), Executive Director of the Nihon Kiin’s Overseas Department, traveled from Japan with Norio Wada, the Overseas Department’s Secretary General, to attend the closing meeting on November 30. Ms. Kobayashi, who has visited New York in the past and lived in Europe for many years, is an ardent supporter of Western go and expressed her strong personal support for the Center. More than thirty players (left) came out on a cold, rainy Tuesday to support the Center and to participate in a general discussion of the issues with Ms. Kobayashi, who said that all proceeds from the sale of the building will be used to support international go, as Iwamoto had intended. “He could have given this money to his family,” she said. “But he gave it to support go in the West, and that is how it will be used. The go world has changed very much in the past fifteen years, and we must adjust to today’s situation.” The recently expanded board of Nihon Ki-in America, the 501c3 corporation that has been operating the Center’s go activities, will continue working with Ms. Kobayashi and the Nihon Ki-in board to find a way to support a Go Center for all players in New York. In the meantime the Center’s leadership intends to provide news and information about other playing sites in New York. By getting to know the other playing communities better, they hope to open a new, more successful site in the near future. Visit the New York Go Center’s website for further information, or subscribe to the Center’s mailing list by writing to manager@nygocenter.org- reported by Chris Garlock; photos by Terry Benson

Farewell Haiku for the New York Go Center
the dead master’s tears
drown the click of stone on wood
bitter autumn rain- Keith Arnold

To make the 2011 U.S. Go Congress in Santa Barbara, CA easier — and more affordable — for those attending from far away, the Congress has contracted discounts with major airlines. Discounts of 5-10% are now available with American Airlines and United Airlines for anyone flying into Santa Barbara — and in some cases LAX — within three days of the start or end of the July 30-August 7 Congress. Additionally, rental car discounts of up to 20% are available when booked at the time of flight reservations. Arrangements have also been made for those interested in flying on Southwest for any groups of 10 or more with the same itinerary. Look for sign-ups for airports coming soon and check out the 2011 Congress website for more details.- reported by Lisa Scott, 2011 Go Congress Co-Director

It has now been almost a year since I first visited the Federal Correctional Institute in Englewood, CO, and I am pleased to report that they now have a weekly go club with regular attendance of 10 to 20 inmates. My first article on this program sparked a tremendous outpouring of support from the go community: Slate and Shell donated over 20 books for the inmates, Yellow Mountain Imports sent a treasure trove of nice playing sets and books, SmartGo donated free licenses for the full version of their program, Janice Kim sent more copies of the Learn to Play Go series, and of course the AGF provided free sets and matching funds as well. All of these resources have been put to good use by the inmates, who are making steady progress. I have been able to visit the prison every few months, and have had a warm reception every time. Continue reading…)